b707guy Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Hi I posted this question a while back in another forum but got no response, so thought I'd try again with it here. The rear window wiper on our '98 LGT wagon parks at 45 degrees upward on the passenger side when not in use, and travels from that position to horizontal on the driver's side and back to the same 45 degrees up when in use, so it never travels to horizontal on the passenger side. It's travel is smooth and consistent, not jumpy or anything that might indicate a broken gear or missing tooth. Also, I believe it should park horizontal on the driver's side, right? Any ideas on what the problem or problems might be? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 It could be a dead spot on the motor. I'd say replacing the motor should take care of the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meier motor sports Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 losen the nut holding the wiper arm to the motor. reposition the arm. tighten the nut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 My 05GT started doing the "I lost my mind" thing. Then other times it works fine. It works when I need it so I'm not going to worry about it. Does your's move and wipe the window when you tell it to? Is it worth the cost of replacing it? 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meier motor sports Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 whats your 05 doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meier motor sports Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 losen the nut holding the wiper arm to the motor. reposition the arm. tighten the nut wait is it going full cycle just parking in the 45* position? you need a new wiper motor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b707guy Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 It doesn't go through full cycle or sweep, just from the 45 degree passenger side over to the driver's side horizontal, then back to the 45 degree starting point and reverses again. I had thought about repositioning the blade on the spline, but figure that if I do that, it'll try to wipe the tailgate instead of the window. Max may have the right idea here - it works when I want it to and doesn't when I don't want it to, but it's annoying to have the wiper in view every time I look in the rear view mirror where it parks. Plus, it would be nice to have it clean the entire rear window rather than just 3/4 of what it should be doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Then it sounds like the wiper arm somehow got taken off the spline and put back on in a different position. Try what meier motor sports said and see if that works. If not then replace the motor. This is strange indeed. As far as it being worth it.... Some really picky inspection stations won't give you a sticker without it, based on the thought process that "If the car came with it, it's supposed to have it." I know it's stupid, but I've had similar problems before. Inspection stations are almost as bad as pigs sometime. Luckily I've found a good one that I'm going to stick with from now on. If they'll pass my Subaru, they'll pass most anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b707guy Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 Fortunately, it just passed state inspection. I guess it pays to be in the good graces of your station of choice! Further investigation will have to wait until sometime next week at best as one of our prodigy has the LGT for the weekend and I'll be working when she gets back with it. Speaking of picky inspections, our Neon didn't pass (using the dealer for the inspection instead of our other place) because of a cracked fog light lens. The light still worked, but the cracked lens apparently made it unsafe . Their solution was to replace it ($360 with part and labor), or remove both lamps. I looked into it and found a replacement part online for nearly 1/3 their cost, but since it wouldn't arrive for at least a few days, I chose to remove them altogether to get it to pass in the mean time. Well, of course, I broke the mount on the good one in the process of removing it, while the broken one came out otherwise intact with a little elbow grease and a few choice words. Even if I can't repair the broken mount and have to order a replacement for it as well, I'll still be ahead by $240 over the dealer's replacement of the one they didn't like. Fun and games! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Fortunately, it just passed state inspection. I guess it pays to be in the good graces of your station of choice! Further investigation will have to wait until sometime next week at best as one of our prodigy has the LGT for the weekend and I'll be working when she gets back with it. Speaking of picky inspections, our Neon didn't pass (using the dealer for the inspection instead of our other place) because of a cracked fog light lens. The light still worked, but the cracked lens apparently made it unsafe . Their solution was to replace it ($360 with part and labor), or remove both lamps. I looked into it and found a replacement part online for nearly 1/3 their cost, but since it wouldn't arrive for at least a few days, I chose to remove them altogether to get it to pass in the mean time. Well, of course, I broke the mount on the good one in the process of removing it, while the broken one came out otherwise intact with a little elbow grease and a few choice words. Even if I can't repair the broken mount and have to order a replacement for it as well, I'll still be ahead by $240 over the dealer's replacement of the one they didn't like. Fun and games! Figures. The dealer either wants to sell you a new car or a new fog light. It's all about the business to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b707guy Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 Well, this turned out to be a lot simpler than I thought it would be. There are four gears involved - the worm gear off the motor, which drives a gear wheel, which drives a linear gear, which see-saws another gear wheel attached directly to the wiper. The gear wheel that connects the worm gear on the motor to the linear gear has two eccentrics to choose from. At some point in the wagon's life, the gear was apparently monkeyed with and put back together with the linear gear's post in the wrong eccentric. I guess that particular one might be for a vehicle with a tailgate mounted spare tire or something that needs limited travel. Anyway, after figuring out the geometry of the two eccentric choices, reinstall using the other one, and repositioning the linear gear on the wiper gear, everything works as advertised with full sweep and with the arm parking on the driver's side. Took less than a half hour, including figuring out how to take the interior trim off without destroying it. Wish all the little fixes were this simple! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uniqsol Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 How much is a wiper motor? and is it difficult to replace? My rear wiper is dead on my 96 legacy L wagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b707guy Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 Just did a quick search and found reman's for $70 and OEM for $180. You may be better off finding the part in a junkyard if those numbers don't fit your budget. Very easy to replace, just watch how you re-install the gear set so it works right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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